Susan Hawk
Literary Agent
Upstart Crow Literary
Children's and YA Book Agent at Upstart Crow Literary. Excited to read your query!

Literary Agent
What am I hungry to find in my queries, you ask? Creepy, psychological (not gory) horror, MG or YA. Give me something strange with a gradual, gripping sense of unease -- make my spine shiver! #MSWL

Literary Agent
Susan Hawk @susanhawk
Howdy, writers! Here's your reminder of our upcoming #AskUpstart session, 11/7 at Noon EST. And, in preparation for that, a note about the kind of manuscripts I'm hungry to see. First, MG and YA is where my head is these days. #MSWLRight now, I'm particularly hungry for MG and YA. I want stories and characters that will surprise me! Something that feels new and fresh. I was tweeting about my #MSWL last week, so see more here: twitter.com/susanhawk/stat…

Literary Agent
I'm esp looking for bks that center marginalized voices & are intersectional. I don't see enough religious diversity. I’m fascinated by ritual & faith; how these intertwine to create belief. What does belief feel like? What's it like to want to believe, but find you can't? #MSWL

Literary Agent
As I said, open to all genres, but some I particularly love are fantasy and mystery. Humor is frequently a key element of the books I fall in love with. #MSWL

Literary Agent
Voice and world-building are also important. I think voice and character are really connected -- if you really know who you're writing about, their voice is probably distinctive as well. And I want to be swept into a singular, immersive world/place. #MSWL

Literary Agent
Susan Hawk @susanhawk
Howdy, writers! Here's your reminder of our upcoming #AskUpstart session, 11/7 at Noon EST. And, in preparation for that, a note about the kind of manuscripts I'm hungry to see. First, MG and YA is where my head is these days. #MSWLI'm open to all genres. For me, character trumps all. If your character is driving the story, is layered, and richly drawn, I'd love to see your project! #MSWL

Literary Agent
Howdy, writers! Here's your reminder of our upcoming #AskUpstart session, 11/7 at Noon EST. And, in preparation for that, a note about the kind of manuscripts I'm hungry to see. First, MG and YA is where my head is these days. #MSWL

Literary Agent
Susan Hawk @susanhawk
It’s just a week until Halloween and I’m in the mood to read something spooooky! If you’re writing a heart-stopping horror story for MG or YA, I’d love to see it. #MSWLThat said, I don’t care for gory or gross horror. Psychological horror is the sweet spot for me. Something Gothic, or with ghosts – also good! #MSWL

Literary Agent
It’s just a week until Halloween and I’m in the mood to read something spooooky! If you’re writing a heart-stopping horror story for MG or YA, I’d love to see it. #MSWL

Literary Agent
I love how a funny book can operate in a kid's world. They're a pleasure to read - score one for reading. Plus, if I (the grown-up) get the joke, and the kid also gets the joke, that's a way of saying, hey, you're pretty smart, kid. Score many, many more for reading. #MSWL

Literary Agent
I'm in awe of truly funny writing. It's harder than it seems, and I love seeing it work on the page. #MSWL

Literary Agent
Susan Hawk @susanhawk
So, time for another #MSWL, in the run-up to tomorrow's #askUpstart session. HUMOR, people! I love books that make me laugh, in every category; PB, CB, MG, YA. Here's a couple reasons why:Life is messy, and nothing is colored in the lines. It's often in a dark moment that things feel funniest. I like books that capture the messy complexity of life, including how humor crops up. #MSWL

Literary Agent
So, time for another #MSWL, in the run-up to tomorrow's #askUpstart session. HUMOR, people! I love books that make me laugh, in every category; PB, CB, MG, YA. Here's a couple reasons why:

Literary Agent

Literary Agent
Susan Hawk @susanhawk
I'm looking for fiction for kids and teens that relates to issues happening in our world right now: the refugee crisis, the opioid epidemic, the Flint, MI water crisis. #MSWLI love, love, love historical fiction. It has to be gripping and immersive. I'd love something about the post-WII period, esp if set Berlin. #MSWL

Literary Agent
Susan Hawk @susanhawk
It's also time for more #MSWL! Generally, I rep all categories of children's and YA books, both fiction and nonfiction. At the moment I'm most hungry for MG and YA fiction.I'm looking for fiction for kids and teens that relates to issues happening in our world right now: the refugee crisis, the opioid epidemic, the Flint, MI water crisis. #MSWL

Literary Agent
It's also time for more #MSWL! Generally, I rep all categories of children's and YA books, both fiction and nonfiction. At the moment I'm most hungry for MG and YA fiction.

Literary Agent
I love ambitious, literary YA, and would especially like one that's lushly, unabashedly romantic. #MSWL

Literary Agent
Stories that are piercingly true to their characters, revealing their layers and deepest feelings -- this goes for every category of children's and YA books. #MSWL

Literary Agent
In advance of our #AskUpstart session 8/7, I promised a few new #MSWL notes. I’m looking for “Activist Non-Fiction” (shout-out to @_GinaGagliano!), NF that explores a current issue, engages readers deeply, and calls them to action. YA, MG & Graphic Novels like this – all welcome!